Vehicles such as automobiles may be used to transport other modes of transportation, such as bicycles, for example. The vehicle may be used to transport the bicycle, for example, for recreational use of the bicycle. As another example, the vehicle may be used to transport the bicycle so that the vehicle and the bicycle provide multi-modal transportation. Multi-modal transportation can include driving the vehicle to a location at which the vehicle may be parked and then driving the bicycle from the vehicle to a final destination. For example, a driver may travel to a work office located in an urban setting congested by commuters by first driving the vehicle to a less congested satellite parking lot remote from the office and driving the bicycle from the vehicle to the office. The bicycle may be more easily and quickly maneuvered in the more congested areas.
Packaging bicycles in or on a vehicle during transportation creates difficulties, especially with relatively small vehicles. An interior of a vehicle may be reconfigurable, e.g., seats may be folded, to accommodate a bicycle in the interior of the vehicle. However, the bicycle disadvantageously consumes valuable interior space of the vehicle and can disadvantageously move within the vehicle during unexpected acceleration or deceleration.
Bicycles can alternatively be stored on an exterior of a vehicle during transportation. For example, after-market racks are available for mounting to vehicles and supporting one or more bicycles. However, these after-market racks are expensive to purchase. Assembly of the after-market rack to the vehicle and assembly of the bicycle onto the rack is also disadvantageously time consuming. The rack and the bicycle also disrupts airflow around the vehicle during travel, thereby disadvantageously decreasing fuel economy of the vehicle.
Accordingly, there remains an opportunity to design a device for multi-modal transportation that is easily and compactly integrated with the vehicle.